You may be thinking, I have benefits, why should I care? Unfortunately, Canada's current economic and fiscal environments mean things are changing. The consequent unemployment and underemployment rates have resulted in an increasing number of Canadians who have lost, or have been forced to go without, prescription drug coverage.

One in 10 Canadians can't afford their prescriptions.

Currently, millennials (those aged 18-34) who more regularly take low to middle-income jobs, or work part-time, are most likely to be underinsured, or to have no insurance at all. Low incomes, job insecurity, high cost of living, record level debt and insufficient savings are all barriers many millennials face when accessing necessary prescription drugs.

Is a pan-Canadian, or universal prescription drug strategy the solution to help address these gaps in coverage?

This week, Canada's premiers are attending the summer meeting of the Council of the Federation (CoF). With increased engagement from Ottawa, this meeting provides provinces with an opportunity to address complex intergovernmental policy issues facing Canadians. Despite the inclusion of health care on this year's agenda, few Canadians will be paying attention. This is a problem.

Pharmacare, a subject commonly bypassed by government and misunderstood by Canadians, even by those directly affected, is back on the agenda and people from coast-to-coast are not participating in a conversation that could change the course of their lives.

Understandably, prescription drug coverage only becomes a concern for many individuals when they can't access the drugs they need because of cost. If you haven't personally experienced problems with drug coverage, there is a high probability that your child, friend or loved one has.

These obstacles are further compounded by our nation's patchwork pharmacare system. Provinces, territories and the federal government each fund drug therapy for a distinct portion of the population. Your postal code and your socioeconomic status continue to dictate your ability to access the medication you need.

Like many recent graduates, it wasn't long ago that I was without comprehensive drug coverage. While I was lucky to have access to the medication I needed through other means, not everyone can. Today, securing a job is only a small part of the greater challenge young Canadians face in accessing coverage, because the increased prevalence of precarious employment means decreased economic and social benefits for employees.

Almost half of millennials have issues accessing employee drug plans.

According to a recent Statistics Canada labour force survey, approximately 39 percent of workers 15 to 29 are precariously employed. That means that almost half of millennials between 15 and 29 are part-time, temporary or self-employed workers, and likely don't have access to employer-run private health insurance plans. Too many are forced to pay out of pocket for prescription drugs they can't afford to go without.

Health professionals, patients, governments and other key organizations have participated in debates to increase access to prescription drug coverage since the 1960s. Like many previous health policy changes, a call for change is often slow and underwhelming, but that's no excuse for why Canada has failed to provide its youth with the necessary means to reach their full potential.

With premiers meeting to discuss pharmacare this week, its time Canadians educate themselves on this issue and even more important that Millennials start paying attention.

Melisa is a Consultant, Health and Life Sciences, with Global Public Affairs in Toronto. She has extensive knowledge in public affairs, strategic communications and public policy. Melisa is also a Communication's, Media and Marketing Lead on Toronto's Emerging Health Leaders (EHL) Executive and is involved with Sunnybrook Next Generation. She holds a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University and a Master in International Public Policy from the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Sir. Wilfrid Laurier University.

Low-income population: 118,325
Population in private households for income status: 1,082,230

Low-income population: 101,235
Population in private households for income status: 867,090

Low-income population: 100,810
Population in private households for income status: 795,675

Low-income population: 24,035
Population in private households for income status: 189,740

Low-income population: 30,475
Population in private households for income status: 218,320

Low-income population: 72,590
Population in private households for income status: 502,595

Low-income population: 15,885
Population in private households for income status: 105,950

Low-income population: 57,980
Population in private households for income status: 384,335

Low-income population: 19,520
Population in private households for income status:189,740

Low-income population: 79,785
Population in private households for income status: 509,640

Low-income population: 108,125
Population in private households for income status: 649,995

Low-income population: 17,900
Population in private households for income status: 103,905

Low-income population: 9,495
Population in private households for income status: 55,150

Low-income population: 496,660
Population in private households for income status: 2,576,025

Low-income population: 6,665
Population in private households for income status: 33,310

Low-income population: 121,020
Population in private households for income status: 590,210

Low-income population: 15,715
Population in private households for income status: 76,025

Low-income population: 49,395
Population in private households for income status: 208,020

Low-income population: 425,380
Population in private households for income status: 1,612,640

NEXT: Celebs Who Were Born Impoverished

The country star grew up in deep poverty in Timmins, Ontario, where she also witnessed her stepfather abuse her mother. She describes in her memoir "From This Moment On" not having enough money to eat and going to school hungry.

Born as Demetria Gene Guynes, one of Hollywood's most recognizable faces grew up in trailer parks in Roswell, New Mexico, and moved over 30 times. She also dropped out of high school at age 16.

All his jokes aside, Jim Carrey has a dark past. The Canadian actor grew up in poverty and at 12 years old was forced to get an after-school factory job working eight hours per day. "My father lost his job when he was 51 and that was the real 'wow', the kick in the guts. We lived in a van for a while, and we worked all together as security guards and janitors," Carrey once said of the experience. His 2003 film "Bruce Almighty" grossed $484.6 million according to the Washington Times.

She played a privileged Upper East Side kid on the CW's "Gossip Girl," but Leighton Meester was actually born in jail to her mother Constance Meester, who was serving time for drug smuggling.

J.K. Rowling, now wealthier than the Queen of England thanks to her wildly successful "Harry Potter" series, has been open about her lower-middle class background, admitting that she also experienced harsher times. "I, too, have passed through a period of poverty in Britain and can understand some of those issues," she told NPR News in 2012. "I think I've had a very strange life."

Sarah Jessica Parker's life was not always as glamorous as it appears on "Sex and The City." She was born to a impoverished family in the small town of Nelsonville, Ohio, and began singing and acting partly to support her family. She is now worth $15 million, according to Forbes.

Winfrey's childhood was filled with enough turmoil to all but ensure she would never make it. She spent her early childhood living with her grandmother on a farm in Kosciusko, Miss., while her unwed teenage mother searched for work. She was reportedly sexually molested at an early age and worked as a housemaid. At 17 years old, Oprah got her first big break when she won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant, launching her into a journalism job in Baltimore. The media mogul is now worth around $2.7 billion, according to Forbes.

The "My Heart Will Go On" powerhouse -- now worth a reported $400 million -- grew up the youngest of 14 children in a low-income French Canadian family. (Dad was an accordionist).
"I grew up in a very, very, very small house," Dion told Vanity Fair in 2012. "We weren't poor, but we never had money … We were given love and affection and support. What else did we need?"

Median Income For Women In Canada

The following data comes from Statistics Canada's 2011 National Household Survey.

Median income for men: $35,028
Average income for women: $29,775
Average income for men: $43,195

Median income for men: $30,961
Average income for women: $31,542
Average income for men: $40,965

Median income for men: $31,233
Average income for women: $37,015
Average income for men: $52,716

Median income for men: $32,887
Average income for women: $32,090
Average income for men: $44,800

Median income for men: $31,704
Average income for women: $35,618
Average income for men: $50,897

Median income for men: $35,666
Average income for women: $32,561
Average income for men: $45,725

Median income for men: $34,527
Average income for women: $32,306
Average income for men: $44,772

Median income for men: $35,042
Average income for women: $33,940
Average income for men: $48,258

Median income for men: $37,821
Average income for women: $32,830
Average income for men: $45,148

Median income for men: $35,776
Average income for women: $32,400
Average income for men: $44,342

Median income for men: $39,154
Average income for women: $33,398
Average income for men: $48,096

Median income for men: $36,117
Average income for women: $32,334
Average income for men: $43,858

Median income for men: $34,235
Average income for women: $33,792
Average income for men: $42,084

Median income for men: $40,913
Average income for women: $35,426
Average income for men: $52,018

Median income for men: $43,929
Average income for women: $37,100
Average income for men: $56,034

Median income for men: $45,781
Average income for women: $41,438
Average income for men: $68,928

Median income for men: $42,006
Average income for women: $38,488
Average income for men: $53,324

Median income for men: $46,513
Average income for women: $41,857
Average income for men: $58,318

Median income for men: $46,265
Average income for women: $45,636
Average income for men: $53,264

Median income for men: $66,153
Average income for women: $56,064
Average income for men: $73,225

Median income for men: $62,187
Average income for women: $63,456
Average income for men: $69,539

Highest-Paying Jobs That Don't Necessarily Need A Degree In Canada

Average salary $44,224.00

Average salary: $46,213.00

Yes, apparently they still have secretaries.
Average salary: $46,369.00

Average salary: $47,562.00

Average salary: $52,635.00
*Having some sort of certification in finance or business would likely help in this career, but isn't necessary.

Average salary: $53,017.00

Average salary: $54,048.00
*Though a degree isn't required, you may be at a disadvantage when searching for work as a recruiter against those with degrees in human resources.

Average salary: $54,279.00

Average salary: $56,640.00

Average salary: $58,033.00
*As with recruiters, you my be at a disadvantage in this field against those with a human resources degree.

Average salary: $62,526.00

Average salary: $81,349.00
*Adzuna explains: For some electrical engineering jobs, a degree is required, and for others it isn't — there are alternative professional qualifications.